Improvement in the preparation of copper



A. ONEILL. PREPARATION O-FCOPPER, 800., FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CULINARY VESSELS AND OTHER ARTICLES.

Patented. July 4, 1876.

No.179,46 Z.

INVENTOR WITNESSES ANDREW ONEILL, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE PREPARATION OF COPPER. &c-. FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CULINARY VESSELS AND OTHER ARTICLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 179,462, dated July 4, 1876; application filed December 16, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW ONEILL, 0 Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in the Preparation of Copper and other Sheetv Metal for the Manufacture of Culinary Vessels and other articles, of which the following is a specification:

The subject of my invention is a permanently bright nickel-plated sheet of copper or brass, or other alloy of copper, prepared in e the mode hereinafter described, and adapted for the manufacture of culinary vessels, and for other useful purposes.

In carrying out my invention, I take plates or slabs of copper or of brass, yellow metal, or other alloy containing copper, as they come from the rolling-mill, and subjectthem to rolling, either singly or in packs, until they are reduced to the thickness required. If rolled in packs, they are subsequently passed once or more (cold) between polished rolls to give them a permanent set, condense the metal, and remove any imperfections therefrom. In order to secure the advantages of cold-rolling in a single thickness without the cost of handling separate sheets of small size, it is preferred to roll the metal in continuous lengths, coiling and annealing it after each pass. When reduced to the required thickness, it is cut up in the desired size and shape, and the separate sheets are passed once between the rolls to stiffen and flatten them, remove any indentations they may have received in the muffler or annealing-furnace, and prepare them for the subsequent operation of buffing and polishing.

The machinery by which the rolling above referred to is performed is of ordinary construction, and hence requires no specific description.

For the buffing of small sheets I employ a traveling bed, B, sliding in a frame, A, to carry the sheets, and a rapidly-revolving buffing-roller, 0, preferably made of felt. J represents a screw for setting the bed 13 up or down, so as to regulate its distance from the surface of the roller 0, and thus cause it toact on, the plate with any required pressure.

sent two rollers running in a frame, F, depending from above. D is a supporting-roller,

running freely in the frame F, and E the butting-roller, which is driven at a high velocity.-

Said buffing-roller E is placed, as shown,

somewhat above, but not directly over, the

roller D. The sheet S is fastened, by an cecentric clamp, G, to a board, H, furnished with handles I. In operation, the board, with the sheet thus attached, is rested on the carryingroller D, the heel of the board being elevated by the workman to permit it to pass freely under the buffer-roller E as he thrusts it from him, and being pressed down as he draws it toward him, so as to press the surface of the sheet with any necessary force against the rotary buffer. One side being completely polished, the sheet is turned over, and again clamped to the board, and its other side is then polished in the same manner. Brick dust and oil, rotten-stone, or other cheap material are applied to thesheet during the buffing operation. The polishing being completed, the sheets are cleansed of'oil and other foreign matters by rubbing with sawdust or other cheap material. The sheets are then electroplated with nickel on one or both sides, and subsequently bufled and polished again in the manner and by the same means already described.

If but one side is nickle-plated, the sheet is laid plated side down on a table, and the unplated side is coated with an enamel prepared as follows: Take one quart spirits of turpentine, one quart Dam mar varnish, half a pound of sugar of lead, and about a tea-spoonful of oxalic acid dissolved in a half a pint of water.

The sugar of lead has the effect of relieving the enamel of any sticky character which the varnish would otherwise impart to the sheet,

placed on a steam-table, the heat causing the evaporation of the turpentine.

My invention provides the artisan and manufacturer with sheet metal ready for use for the manufacture of culinary vessels of all kinds, bath-tubs, stove-trimmings, show-case frames, clock-movements, and a great variety of household and other articles for which various kinds of sheet metal are commonly used. The nickelplated enameled sheets, prepared as above described, maybe struck up or spun up, or formed by stamping machinery usually employed in working copper and other sheet metal.

The stamping operation does not impair the nickel-plating, and said plating will bear without injury a degree of heat much greater than that required for soldering.

Articles made of this material present a brilliant luster, and have a hard, glossy, planished surface, which renders them very attractive, at the same time that the cost is not greatly increased. The nickel-plating on one side and the enamel on the other render the metal permanently bright, and prevent the formation of verdigris.

For culinary uses, and for the purposes of of the laboratory, vessels made of my nickelplated and enameled copper, brass, or yellow metal possess greatsuperiority, in that the material is not liable to be affected by acids or by overheating. Vessels ot' tinned sheet metal require frequent retinning, which involves outlay, and causes injury to the body of the metal, impairing its density, toughness,

and homogeneous character, and causing it' to crack and to wear in holes.

My system of cold -rolling, annealing, and bufling constitutes a new process of machineplanishin g, and greatly increases the strength, durability, density, and beauty of themetal. The nickel-plating, being applied on a surface already planished and polished, and perfectly by removing the nickel in a bath of sulphuric acid, and melting down the copper in a crucible. The use of nickel possesses'an advantage over German silver, in that it is of much less cost.

Having thus described my invention, the

following is what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent: 7

1. The process herein described of preparing sheets of copper, or of an alloy containing copper, by cold-rolling, polishing, nickelplating, and subsequent buffing or polishing, substantially as set forth. v

2. The process of preparing and protecting sheet metal by cold-rolling, polishing, nickelplating, buffing,and coating with an enamel,

substantially as herein described.

3. The butfing apparatus constructed with two rollers placed one above, but not directly over, the other, as and for the purposes set forth,

4. As a new article of manufacture, the machine-planished, nickel-plated, polished, and enameled sheet of copper, brass, or yellow metal, herein described.

ANDREW ONEILL.

Witnesses:

OCTAVIUS KNIGHT, CHAS. J. Gooon.

The usual system of handv 

